LHSON Hosts FastBacc® White Coat Ceremony
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) hosted a FastBacc® White Coat Ceremony at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at the LHSON Academic Building in the McLane Auditorium located at 333 North Washington in Dallas.
The LHSON White Coat Ceremony is a special event to celebrate students who successfully complete their first block of classes and labs. Being coated with a white coat symbolizes their progression in nursing and their readiness to embark upon clinical practice. Focused on promoting compassionate care, 51 FastBacc® undergraduate students gathered for this memorable event along with friends and family, LHSON faculty, staff and members of the Dean’s Board of Advocates.
“We are committed to increasing the support that will enable our students to succeed and are honored to host White Coat Ceremonies for our students,” said Dr. Tanya Sudia, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, Dean and Professor, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. “Participation in this event builds upon our tradition of integrating faith and academic excellence in nursing education, enabling us to provide transformational experiences for our students to realize their calling to Learn.Lead.Serve.®”
FastBacc® is a 12-month accelerated track for the post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program. Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing discipline are admitted to the FastBacc® track to complete 62 hours of nursing course work for the BSN on the Dallas campus. This is an intensive full-time program that begins each summer with a combination of teaching methodologies including traditional classroom, online courses, clinical and lab experiences and hybrid interactive learning courses.
Our aspiring Baylor nurses have been called to be the hands and feet of Christ and serve in their communities,” said Dr. Adrianne Duvall-Ingram, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, Harris and Anne Clark FastBacc® Endowed Professor and FastBacc® Coordinator, LHSON. “I am grateful for those who are helping to answer that call.” To learn more about FastBacc®, click here to listen to a Podcast episode featuring Dr. Duvall-Ingram on the “Future Readiness for RNs: Trailblazing FastBacc Track.”
The FastBacc® Summer 2026 White Coat Ceremony included a keynote address from Agnes Bus-Kwofie, LHSON FastBacc® alum, BU’2025. Students recited a “Nursing Pledge” adapted from the original Florence Nightengale pledge and Gonzaga University School of Nursing. Faculty symbolically cloaked students and they received a special designed red and gold pin attached to each of their white coats. The pins were provided by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and serve as a visible reminder of their pledge and commitment to the nursing profession to provide high-quality care.
The White Coat Ceremony was created in 1993 by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a nonprofit that champions humanism in healthcare. Dr. Arnold P. Gold, a pediatric neurologist, wanted to ensure that future doctors and nurses took an oath to compassionate patient care early in their training, rather than waiting until graduation. Dr. Gold believed the human connection is essential to optimal care. Today we know that studies show connection improves patient care and clinician well-being. We all benefit.
In 2014, recognizing the vital role nurses play in the healthcare team, the Gold Foundation partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to adapt the ceremony for nursing. While it may take different forms, the ceremony emphasizes the importance of humanistic patient care, defined as compassionate, collaborative and scientifically excellent healthcare, early in nursing training and professional identity formation. More than 450 schools of nursing have participated, and the number continues to grow. As reported by APGF, White Coat Ceremonies have been an important rite of passage at medical schools for more than 20 years, and the collaboration between APGF and AACN marks a coordinated effort to offer similar events at schools of nursing.